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PREPARE AHEAD:
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1. To make the filling: In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with ½ cup of warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Then remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and discard the water.
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2. With a cleaver or sharp knife, cut away and discard the tough stems of the mushrooms and chop the caps as fine as possible. Set them aside.
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3. Pick through the crabmeat, discarding any bits or slivers of cartilage. Shred the meat fine and reserve it with the mushrooms.
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4. Place the oil, chopped ginger root, salt, white pepper and sugar within easy reach.
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5. Set a 12-inch wok or 10-inch skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds. Pour in 3 tablespoons of oil, swirl it about in the pan and heat for another 30 seconds, reducing the heat to moderate if the oil begins to smoke.
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6. Immediately add the ginger and then the mushrooms and crabmeat, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir in the salt, pepper and sugar, stir-fry 30 seconds longer, and transfer the entire contents of the pan to a bowl. Cool to room temperature.
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TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
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1. Sift the combined wheat starch and tapioca flour into a large bowl, make a well in the center and pour into it the 1½ cups of boiling water. With chopsticks or a wooden spoon, gradually mix the flour into the water until a soft dough is formed.
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2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and, with your fingers, knead the dough in the bowl for 3 or 4 minutes, or until smooth. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.
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3. Lightly rub a little oil on a marble, metal or wooden surface and place half of the dough on it. With the palms of your hands, roll the dough back and forth, shaping it into a cylinder 12 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter.
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4. Roll the second half of the dough into a similar cylinder. Using a cleaver or sharp knife, cut both cylinders crosswise into ½-inch slices and lay the slices flat on the oiled surface 2 or 3 inches apart.
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5. Then lightly oil one side of the cleaver or knife blade and, with the palm of your hand, firmly press the blade down on each slice of dough, flattening it into a 2½-inch round. Re-oil the cleaver from time to time as you proceed. Cover the rounds with a dry towel.
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TO ASSEMBLE:
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1. Place a teaspoonful of the cooled crabmeat filling in the middle of each round of dough. Then fold the edges together to make half-moon-shaped pastries, pressing and pinching the edges to seal them securely.
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2. Stand the dumplings upright, pinched edges on top, and push them down gently with your fingers to form bases wide enough for the dumplings to stand upright, unsupported. If they are not to be steamed immediately, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
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TO COOK:
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1. Pour enough boiling water into the lower part of a steamer to come to within an inch of the cooking rack (or use a steamer substitute).
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2. If you have steamer trays, arrange the dumplings on two trays and steam them all at one time. Or, for single steamers, choose a heatproof plate ½ inch smaller than the diameter of the pot, brush the plate with oil and place half of the dumplings on it.
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3. Over high heat, bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Put the plate on the rack, or the trays in place, cover the pan tightly and, over high heat, and steam for 5 minutes.
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4. If you are doing two batches, return the first batch of dumplings to the steamer after the second batch is done and reheat them together in the steamer for a minute or so before serving.
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5. In any case, during the steaming process, it is wise to keep a kettle of boiling water at hand if the water in the steamer boils away and needs replenishing.
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6. Serve the dumplings on the steamer plate set directly on a platter, or, with chopsticks, tongs or slotted spoon, transfer them to a heated platter.
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